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VFK Ides of March Quest
Description he Ides of March, or March 15th has become tied forever in history with the assassination of Julius Caesar. However before that time in history, the Ides of a month merely designated a particular part of the lunar cycle. On today's quest, we will explore the history of the Ides of March, both its significance in the calendar and its relationship to one of the most significant events in Roman history. Prizes Questions 1. The ides of March is a calendar term based on the Roman calendar. The Romans had a calendar system that did not have weekdays as we think of weekdays today. They had marker days within each month which were based on the moon. When the Romans had their early kings, the Roman months were based on the lunar cycle. The months were divided into distinct sections that ended on one of the phases of the moon. These phases were the new moon, the first quarter, and the full moon phases. The days were all termed in relation to these moon phases and fell under the name of Kalends, Nones or Ides. What was the day of Kalends? * The day before the full moon * The first day of the month * The day marking halfway through the month * The longest day of the year 2. A Roman priest called a pontifex was entrusted to watch the sky. When he first spotted a thin crescent of the moon, he would call out his sighting of the new moon and declare that a new month had started. This first day of the month was called the Kalends (derived from the Latin word Calare which meant to announce, or call out). Our word calendar comes from this Roman custom. Go to the English countryside, just off of Stonehenge, and say a quote from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Say the end of this famous quote from Act III, Scene II: "Friends, Romans, countrymen," finish the quote by saying "Lend me your ears." 3. Of the three sections of the calendar, the Kalends, Nones or Ides, the Kalends were the longest. Longer than the other two put together, the Kalends section spanned more than two lunar phases. It began the day after the full moon and lasted through its last quarter, then past the dark new moon until another thin crescent was seen. The day of Kalends marked the first day of the month. The days that did not have a name were given a number, which counted down starting the day after the named day. What does the calendar term "pridie" mean? * Two days after * The day of * The day after * The day before 4. The system of counting down to a day is the reverse of how we think about calendars today. The unnamed days were numbered according to how long it was until the next lunar event. It works similar to anticipating a day such as our birthday, and saying it is five days before my birthday, four days, three days, and so on, substituting the Kalends, the Nones, or the Ides for "birthday." The Romans also counted "inclusively." They included the day to which they were counting down, which caused modern historians a great deal of difficulty when trying to figure out dates on Roman documents. Go to King Arthur's Round Table Room and say another famous quote from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Say, 'Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war.' 5. The Nones, according to the original Roman calendar, was the day when the moon reached its first quarter. The pontifex when he saw the first thin sliver of the moon, would calculate, based on the crescent's width, how many days it would be before the first quarter moon. He would then announce that number of days, and they would start the countdown. If he calculated six days, the day after Kalends would be "the sixth day before Nones." The time that elapses between the first moon quarter and full moon actually averages about 7.4 days, and is about one fourth of the moon period that averages 29.53 days. What does Nones mean? * It is Latin for null or none. * It is the name of the Roman goddess of the moon. * It is Latin for nonus or ninth. * It is Latin for no moon. 6. The Ides originally was the period of the full moon. The full moon comes halfway through each cycle of the moon, and the day marking the Ides, called Idus in Latin, is from an Etruscan word which means "divide." When the Romans separated their month away from the lunar cycle in the fifth century B.C., they fixed the length of the months. Months were assigned a number of days with March, May, July and October designated as having 31 days. In these months, the Ides fell on the 15th day of the month. In the remaining months, the Ides was specified as falling on the 13th of the month. This determined the length of the other sections of the month. The Kalends varied between 16 to 19 days, the Nones section either 4 or 6 days and the Ides section had 8 days. Go to Stonehenge and say yet another quote from Julius Caesar, say: "But, for my own part, it was Greek to me." 7. The Ides of March became significant in history due to Julius Caesar being brutally murdered on the Ides of March - March 15, in the year 44 B.C. The powerful Roman ruler accepted the office of "dictator for life" in February 44 B.C. Caesar was considered by many to be a serious threat to the Roman Republic, and was planning on leaving Rome on March 18th. He had plans to travel to Parthia for a military campaign. The conspirators needed to move as quickly as possible to accomplish the terrible deed before Caesar was to leave Rome. What was the name that the conspirators called themselves? * The Expellers * The Eradicators * The Republicans * The Liberators 8. Marcus Brutus helped mastermind the attack despite the fact that Caesar spared his life and promoted him to praetor. Shakespeare used Plutarch's Brutus as one of the sources for his great play Julius Caesar, and portrays Brutus as a hero and Caesar as a tyrant. Dante, however condemned Brutus as "doomed." Scholars are divided on who were the villains in the situation. It is unknown whether or not Caesar knew of the plot against him, but he did not heed the words of the soothsayer who issued the famous warning "Beware the Ides of March." This phrase has come to mean a day that brought great and abrupt change in Rome. Go to the Marshall's office and say "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." 9. Shakespeare immortalized the words "Beware the Ides of March," as the soothsayer's warning to the Roman ruler when he was on his way to the senate and thus his death. When Caesar hears the warning he says "He is a dreamer, let us leave him. Pass." The audience watching the play knows from history that Caesar will be murdered on the Ides, therefore, they can despair at Caesar's poor judgment at dismissing the prophecy. Caesar meets the soothsayer again where Caesar points out "The Ides of March have come." The soothsayer replies, "Ay, Caesar, but not gone." Caesar continues to ignore warnings and goes on to meet his death. What year is William Shakespeare believed to have written Julius Caesar? * 1590 * 1582 * 1603 * 1599 10. The quotes from the play Julius Caesar rate among Shakespeare's most famous words and have become part of our culture since the plays were first performed. The play is a dramatization of historic events and Shakespeare is said to have relied on many great works for his play. He is said to have used Plutarch's "Parallel Lives" and even Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" as references for his works. With his great play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare took the following words and the actual day, the Ides of March and immortalized them beyond simply as a major turning point in Roman history. Go to the Medieval blacksmith in Medieval Age, and say the soothsayer's words from the play Julius Caesar. Say, "Beware the Ides of March." Answers 1. The first day of the month 2. Go to the |first room of the English Countryside and say, "Lend me your ears." 3. The day before 4. Go to Arthur's Round Table and say, 'Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war.' 5. It is Latin for nonus or ninth. 6. Go to Stonehenge and say, "But, for my own part, it was Greek to me." 7. The Liberators 8. Go to the U.S. Marshalls Office and say, "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." 9. 1599 10. Go to the Medieval Blacksmith and say, "Beware the Ides of March." Category:Quests